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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. wind — moving air
  14. roll — a cake
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. rock — a stone
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. capital — a city
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rock — music
  23. cue — a signal
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com